Lagos State pensioners under the Contributory Pension Scheme have given Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu until August 31, 2026, to pay their outstanding pension increase and wage award, warning that failure to do so could lead to a major protest.
The retirees, under the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Contributory Pension Scheme, said they had waited for several months for the state government to act on the pension adjustment.
The Lagos State Council Chairman of the union, Michael Omisande, disclosed the position after a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Office, Sunkanmi Oyegbola.
Omisande said the union had submitted its proposal for the pension enhancement to the Lagos State Government in January 2026. He explained that the Lagos State Pension Commission later informed the union that an actuary would be engaged to help determine how the adjustment would be implemented.
However, the pensioners said the process had not resulted in actual payment, leaving many retirees waiting for the increase and wage award.
The union has now set August 31 as the deadline for the government to credit the accounts of affected pensioners. It said failure to meet the deadline could lead to a protest by retirees across the state.
Omisande said the union had informed the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, as well as the state Commissioner of Police about the planned demonstration.
He explained that the notification was intended to ensure adequate security and proper coordination if the protest goes ahead.
The meeting was attended by officials of the Lagos State Pension Commission, including its Director-General, Babalola Obilana, and Executive Director of Finance, Muyiwa Oshin.
Obilana reportedly told the pensioners that Governor Sanwo-Olu had called him over the issue and given instructions concerning the matter. However, no definite date was provided for when the outstanding payments would begin.
Representatives of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners Defined Benefit Scheme were also present at the meeting.
The Lagos State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Funmi Sessi, appealed to the state government and LASPEC to speed up the process and settle the pensioners’ demands before the situation develops into a larger dispute.
Omisande said the national leadership of the NUPCPS had backed the Lagos council’s position. He added that the union was prepared to use traditional and social media to inform and mobilise retirees across the state if the government failed to meet the deadline.
The pensioners said they believed the outstanding funds could be released if the government treated the matter as urgent.
Sessi also called on the relevant state authorities to resolve the issue quickly, saying an early settlement would help prevent the planned protest and further tension between the retirees and the government.